Healthy-eating initiatives combined with the rising trend for convenience have resulted in a soaring demand for ready-to-eat fruit.
With numerous innovations in packaging and machinery, shelf-life extension has also had its part to play in the overall advances of the sector and NatureSeal™, in particular has been responsible for helping create a new range of apple products. “The difference this technology has made is absolutely phenomenal,” says AgriCoat’s Simon Matthews. “NatureSeal™ products were developed in the US to get the industry away from using sulphates and the product gives a dramatic extension of shelf life which crucially, does not impact on the flavour of the fruit.”
NatureSeal™ for apples is a patented blend of GRAS (generally recognized as safe) vitamins and minerals that has been shown to extend the shelf-life of fresh cut apples for up to 28 days. It achieves this by inhibiting respiration and the oxidation process of cut apples.
Prolonged shelf-life and better flavour have undoubtedly contributed to the success of the fresh-cut fruit sector, and as part of the growing preference for prepared items, bagged fruit is also displaying great sales potential. What has really driven the sector forward, says Matthews, is the fact that McDonalds sells fruit bags comprising of apple and grape. Apples are largely considered to be one of the most nutritious and convenient fruits on the market, and since April last year when the fruit bags were first offered on McDonalds menus, other catering establishments, particularly in the US have latched onto the trend and sliced apple products have now made their debut in US school cafeterias.
“Customers will soon purchase sliced apples by the bag, just as they do with baby carrots and salad greens,” says William Barries, president of Mantrose-Haeuser (of which Agricoat is the agricultural division). “Consumption will rise as sliced apples become a staple item. This is only the beginning.”
The bagged cut fruit sector might be in its early stages, but it has made an impressive start, however innovation in the fresh cut fruit sphere is not just about apples. NatureSeal™ has made it possible for the pear industry, and others to experience new market growth and in line with the constantly evolving industry, NatureSeal™ researchers continue to work with various processors to help them find solutions to their challenges. “It is common practice for our research and development teams to be in the plants helping our processors solve their problems,” says Barrie. “Our mission is to listen to what our customers would like to do and to come up with solutions for the barriers that might be in the way.”
Much of the growth in fresh-cut fruit sales has come from concerns for health, Barrie says, and a major factor in the growth of NatureSeal™ is changing consumer demand. “Today the public is more health conscious than in the past,” he says. “Consumers are concerned about obesity and are eating more fruit and vegetables. This is opening new windows of opportunity for fresh-cut processors who are also able to promote convenience and labour saving.”
Fresh-cut fruit has undoubtedly benefited from consumers looking to find an easier way to achieve the 5-a-day target and there has been a marked increase in products that fit into the 80-100g category - equivalent to one portion a day. A single portion also has the benefit of being both easy to eat and easy to store.
According to Ian Duncan, at Lingwood Food Services, the focus on healthy eating has had a huge influence, not just in terms of consumption, but in the way that fruit is presented and sold. In particular there has been a huge increase in demand for ready to eat fruit products and supermarkets now give increased space and merchandising to raise the profile of fruit produce.
Presentation is paramount and in the last decade technology has dramatically improved the processing of products with efficient solutions to meet consumer and supplier requirements.
Lingwood Food Services specialises in supplying processing equipment for this sector. The washing and sanitising of raw product prior to processing is a critical control point at the start of the process and an important requirement at that stage is the gentle handling of product while ensuring total removal of any debris and reduction to an approved level of bacteria and pathogens.
Lingwood, representing nine European manufacturers provides a broad range of equipment from bespoke processing lines to standard solutions. The company offers a wide range of washing systems that can specifically handle delicate floating products in their flume systems, or more robust products that sink through continuous screw washers. For customers that require total flexibility the Lingwood transporting basket washer can cope with both.
The extensive Lingwood portfolio includes Kronen - recognised world wide as specialist manufacturers of fresh produce processing equipment, Finis - renowned for technical excellence and innovation and Technofood - offering creative solutions for fruit and vegetable slicing. Customer demonstrations can be arranged and a test facility is also available.
UK companies have been quick to respond to market trends in fresh-cut fruit. Paradise Foods supplies retailers including Tesco and Boots with own brand produce and also offers a small amount of its Paradise Foods brand. On an international scale Chiquita has extended its well-known Chiquita brand to include fresh-cut fruit, catering for the growing consumer desire for healthier food and snacks. Del Monte Fresh Produce has been preparing fresh-cut Hawaiian pineapples for more than 15 years and the company has extended its offer to include the Del Monte Fresh Produce Party Tray, filled with cut fruit and Del Monte Gold™ extra-sweet pineapple in fresh-cut spears, chunks and rings.
Blue Skies has been producing fresh-cut fruit products from its factory in Ghana since 1998, and Egypt since 2003. The Ghana factory supplies a range of exotics including passion fruit, pineapples mangoes and papaya, while the Egyptian factory complements the offer with citrus fruits, strawberries, grapes and melon.
“Until a year ago we only produced tropical fruit from the factory in Ghana,” says Stephan Morris. “Sales at the Ghana factory have been increasing steadily, but we have a strategy of preparation at source and so we expanded into Egypt last year, and are now in the process of opening in South Africa. We wanted to be able to supply Mediterranean fruits such as grapes, citrus and melons in order to complement our tropical fruit offer, giving us a presence in northern and southern hemisphere.”
Despite impressive growth in the sector, there are still issues to be addressed. Many producers believe that sales of fresh-cut fruit are dictated by climatic conditions, and that the sector has a long way to go before it hits the dizzy heights that prepared salad has achieved. Fresh-cut fruit represents a different eating occasion in this respect, and is seen as an optional dessert choice as opposed to a product that is consumed as part of the main meal. Although many consumers prefer traditional fruit such as oranges, apples, pineapples and grapes in their freshly cut fruit it seems that there is definite trend towards the exotic.
Supplying fresh-cut fruit can be a challenge, says Morris. “You need the best raw material and to get it to the customer as quickly as possible, because the shelf-life of cut fruit is so short. We can produce consistent quality and because we operate so close to where the fruit is grown, I believe we have a competitive advantage.”
Blue Skies believes itself to be one of the first to achieve EurepGAP certification in Ghana and it has also reached the standards of BVQI, making it compliant with the Ethical Trading Initiative. “Our biggest considerations are to meet good agricultural practices and ensure that we in trade in an ethically acceptable manner,” says Morris.
MODULAR SYSTEM A GOOD FIT
Dawsonrentals display refrigeration has identified an increased demand for its modular cold store systems that come in a variety of sizes and can be specified to operate at chilled or frozen temperatures. The special sized units are available for short, medium or long-term rental and are a practical and cost-effective solution for businesses seeking to minimise capital outlay on non-core assets. Unlike most alternative systems, even the larger sized units from Dawsonrentals can be supplied with single refrigeration units, as opposed to dual systems, which optimises the available storage area and simplifies servicing and maintenance.
The modular specifications are available in sizes ranging from the compact 1.8m x 1.8m x 2.06m to the higher capacity units measuring 7.2m x 4.8m x 2.06m, making them a particularly versatile storage option. As the systems require minimal groundwork, they can be installed with minimal disruption and are free from planning restrictions. Dawsonrentals offers a pre-installation site-survey where required to ensure that the most appropriate configuration is supplied.
As the modular cold stores are assembled in-situ, they are ideal, says the company, for applications where space or access are limited or restricted in some way. Similarly, being modular, the cold stores can be extended or re-configured should a company’s storage requirements change during the hire period.
Christian Williams, of Dawsonrentals Display Refrigeration, says: “As the modular cold stores offer users a high degree of flexibility with no reduction in thermal integrity or efficiency, they are a popular option. The fact that the systems can be sized to fit a given space is also an advantage.”
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